There is Nothing Like a Dame...Lancome Cuir Vintage and re-issue

By Tom Perfume people are so wonderful. A while ago a kind benefactress sent me a few samples, in which were some of the vintage Lancome Cuir and of the recent (also apparently discontinued) reissue. The reissue is a perfectly nice, ladylike little thing that came out in 2007. It's leather with a whisper of white flowers and powder. I find it oddly more elderly than the rip-roaring original. While the original Cuir isn't going to be mistaken for anything that came out last week, it's certainly far more daring than it's modern counterpart. The original is a full-figured gal in a beaded dress who just as apt to knock back a neat scotch as to knock you flat if you get out of line. Stay in line however, and... The reissue is a buttoned-up lady in a severe suit who is apt to snap the clasp of her clutch shut and make sure you're blackballed from the club if you get out of line. Guess which dame I want to spend time with. Or be. I can't write it better than Colombina: "Let the dead stay honorably dead rather that resuscitating them into politically correct shadows of their former striking selves." The reissue is available on the internets at places like Amazon for less than $40, which is a great price. If you need a ladylike leather I say go for it. The vintage isn't available apparently for love nor money and that is truly sad.

Perfume Review: Lancome Magnifique

I am very fond of Lancôme. When I was little, my mom's Climat and Magie Noire seemed to me incredibly sophisticated, belonging to a different, almost fairy-tale-like world. Years later, jaded by this hobby and work of mine, whenever I see the stylized rose sign on a Lancôme bottle, my heart still skips a beat in anticipation of Magic. I would not call Magnifique, Lancôme's new release fronted by Anne Hathaway, magical, but much like the spokesperson, it is charming. And kudos to Lancôme for blending their beloved rose with spices and woods and not, say, fruits, and giving a West-meets-East feel to the composition. Saffron gives the roses in the top notes of Magnifique a piquantly candied quality...think spicy rose jam, Turkish Delight and all things sweet in an exotic sort of way. The scent becomes more intensely honeyed as it progresses. The woody accord, which includes the allegedly aphrodisiacal nagarmota, does not make the sugared roses to appear less sweet but counteracts their gourmand floralcy by infusing the scent with rich, velvety darkness. I can't help but wish for a generous dose of oud in Magnifique. Saffron and roses are begging for it. Oud would have made the exotic vision behind the composition more complete, but the note, with its medicinal undertone, might be just a little too daring for what is after all a mass release. If I encountered Magnifique twenty or so years ago, when all I knew of the perfume world was my mother's dresser with its small but elegant collection, when I haven't known about Arabian Oud or Montale, when rose notes seemed breathtakinng and not ubiquitous and when saffron would have smelled to my unsophisticated nose thrillingly odd...if I encountered Magnifique then, I would have been blown away. I still think that it is pretty, harmonious, grown up and elegant, and that is a no small achievement. Magnifique is available at Lancôme counters and at lancome-usa.com, $65.00-$85.00. Image source, Lancôme.

Perfume Review: Lancome Peut-Etre

Peut-Être is the 2007 interpretation of the perfume of the same name, first released by Lancôme in 1937. I have never tried the vintage version, so I cannot provide a comparison. Having said that, the delicately feminine, refined reissue does seem to belong to a different era. There is something touchingly retro in its gentle rose note and its downy orris. Maybe I am pathetically influenced by Lancôme's copy about a woman wandering in her garden, waiting for Him, but I do find Peut-Être ever so romantic...I am, however, a little disturbed by the following passage: "She sees a new and special intensity in his gaze. And is something hidden in his hand?"...these days, that something might be a gun, not an engagement ring...But I digress...The opening accord of Peut-Être is a little fresher than the rest of the scent, with the lilacs' breezy aroma balancing the honeyed roses. The floral accord is already silky-soft thanks to a generous dose of white musk, but the presence of orris makes it softer still, adding creaminess to the airy scent of petals. (The iris part reminds me of Stephanie St Aignan's similarly dainty but sweeter and creamier Le Pot Aux Roses.) There are no sharp angles here, the notes speak in elegantly hushed tones. Impeccably put together, graceful and gentle, the scent is exceptionally lady-like. The simple, harmonious composition is also incredibly charming. The scent paints a vision of gentle, passive femininity ....think Irene Forsyte...Peut-Être would make a perfect perfume for a traditional wedding, engagemenr party or tea with the Queen...wear it with flowing silk dresses and big romantic hats. I don't expect Her Majesty to stop by for a cuppa in the near future, but I do want Lancôme's tender creation in my wardrobe anyway, no maybe about it. Peut-Être is available at lancome-usa.com, $125.00 for 1.7oz. First image (Valentina Zeliaeva in Ralph Lauren) source, style.com. Second, lancome-usa.com.